Typically this dish is made with flank steak, which is lean and has long, shreddy fibers, and is how the dish earned the name “old clothes.” It’s the traditional choice, but we find it can be a bit tough, even after it’s braised for a long time. We prefer chuck roast for its fat, tenderness, and richness, but at the end of the day, this will be good with whatever you have on hand. Serve with maduros (fried sweet plantains) and Cuban-style black beans.

Recipe Preparation

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a large heatproof pot over high. Cook chuck roast, turning occasionally, until browned on both sides, 5–7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 250°. Cook onion, bell peppers, and salt (plus 2 Tbsp. oil if using flank steak), stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 12–14 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pan, until vegetables are golden brown, 3–5 minutes. Stir in wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Stir in paprika, oregano, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne until vegetables are coated; continue to cook, stirring, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and coarsely break up with a spoon (they’ll continue to break down as they cook). Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Nestle roast into tomato mixture and tuck in bay leaves on either side. Cover and transfer to oven. Braise roast and vegetables until meat is very tender and shreds easily, 2½–3 hours. Let cool 15 minutes.

Skim excess fat from sauce; discard bay leaves. Using a potato masher or 2 forks, tear and smash beef into sauce until it’s shredded and incorporated into sauce. Stir in olives and vinegar.

Divide ropa vieja among plates. Top with cilantro. Serve with rice, maduros, and beans alongside.

Recipe by Rick Martinez

Reviews Section

Reviews

Made this for the fam and they were fans. Low key forgot to add the vinegar in the end but still tasted great! Left out the olives because we didn't have any haha
All i was able to find in the store was 2lbs of meat instead of 3 but even still it was enough for a family of 4, especially with rice and beans on the side. Didnt even adjust the seasonings and came out fine.

mromeroNY, NY04/13/20

I really enjoyed this recipe and it was so much more cost-effective (and delicious) to use chuck roast. I did it all on the oven and a half-recipe and it worked out really well. Mine came out a little salty but I realize that I had dry brined my chuck roast prior and will just need to be careful with what I add next time. The dish made tonight's Passover special. Thanks, Rick!

AnonymousBaltimore, MD04/09/20

I was in Cuba a couple months ago and ate ropa vieja almost every day. To mirror the sweetness of the ropa vieja I had eaten, I used vidalia onions and only half the cayenne called for. Was delicious. Will make again but will omit the cayenne and slightly reduce the salt.

AnonymousBoston, MA04/09/20

No mention of when the pimientos go in, this recipe sucks

CookieDookie04/02/20

Being born and raised in South Florida Cuban food is a staple. This is a great dish the only thing I don't agree with is the cayenne traditionally this recipe is not that spicy. I did think there was too much salt , next time I will cut back. I used the Chuck Roast and Seasoned before browning which is not mentioned in the directions. Also I substituted the white wine for dry Vermouth. Vermouth is my go to cooking alcohol it just makes everything better.

Tipsy SpatulaDania Beach, FL10/29/19

Really delicious and complex flavors. My young kids loved it too and they hate everything. Winner.

AnonymousAtlanta GA10/20/19

i hate it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymousno where im poor10/01/19

is not bad

Anonymousnooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo09/30/19

it is great and love the name

cocomelon14599why?09/30/19

Wow this was amazing! I will keep this recipe forever and make it again. Everyone loved it. Takes a while to cook so definitely a weekend dinner.

AnonymousLos Angeles 03/13/19

One word - INCREDIBLE! My first time cooking Cuban food and this was seriously one of the best dishes I have ever made. I made it with chuck roast and the only alteration I made was doubling the cayenne. A serious must-try!

AnonymousHouston, TX03/04/19

Soooo amazing, this is my first experience of Cuban food and after this dish I regret waiting so long.

emilyreeves101London02/10/19

I’ve had this dish in Sourh Florida and Havana, and every time it has been really good. This is better This is the best I’ve had. I used chuck and it was lovely and tender. This is a keeper.

AnonymousNYC12/07/18

absolutely incredible. I halved the recipe as I live / cook alone, and I think I have enough for 2 weeks of dinner! Pretty much followed this exactly - I cut my roast in the middle (it was a bit over a pound) and aggressively salted / peppered before browning. I used beef shoulder, roasted in the oven for about 3 hours between 250-300 degrees. shredded beautifully and I shed a tear a bit as I ate :') Also, I used a glass baking dish instead of the original pan, pouring the finished sauce over my browned meat. Can't wait to share this meal with friends.

AnonymousBarcelona, Spain07/26/18

Delicious! I've never made this dish before and looked at different recipes for Ropa Vieja. I decided to go with bon appetit's version because every dish made with this site's recipes had been spot on so far. I'm happy to add this creation to my virtual recipe box.
I followed the instructions except I 1) used a slow cooker after sauteing the flank steak and put all the other ingredients in the slow cooker without cooking them, 2) seasoned the flank steak for about 2 hours with salt, pepper, paprika and cumin prior to sauteing the steak, 3) used one 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes because that's what I had, 4) added 1 1/2 tablespoons of capers, 5) used short squirts of sriracha instead of cayenne and 6) chopped up cerignola olives because that's all I had. I cooked the dish for 5 hours on high. However, I probably could've shortened the time. Next time I'll use chuck as the flank steak was a little tough albeit delicious.
I'm looking forward to making this dish again!